Quintessence sold to Albany Med, will close next week

The silver diner at the beginning of New Scotland Avenue in Albany, which has served food under various names on and off since the 1930s, has been sold to Albany Medical Center and is due to close after business next Wednesday, Oct. 31.

“We expect a closing on the deal next week,” said Joseph Zappone, a Latham attorney and real-estate developer who three years ago reopened the diner as Quintessence, its name from 1981 to 2004.

Zappone said he does not know Albany Med’s plans for the historic diner, which he and law partner Patrick Fiore bought and lovingly restored over 18 months before the August 2009 relaunch. He said it is part of the large redevelopment of the Park South neighborhood, and that the deal includes a nearby vacant parcel that the partners also owned. He did not release the sale price.

I’m awaiting a reply from an Albany Med spokeswoman.

Quintessence, at 11 New Scotland Ave., will be open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner through Oct. 31. Its sibling in Malta, also in a restored silver diner, will remain open.

In fall 2010, Zappone, Fiore and Nick Riggione, whose family owns the local Inferno Pizzerias and operates both Quintessence locations for the law partners, also bought the former Kirker’s location in Latham with the intention of putting a Quintessence there as well. The Malta project diner put that on hold, Zappone said. They still plan to develop the Latham property, but not immediately, he said.

Zappone said they would like to bring some version of Quintessence back to Park South if a suitable space can be found after redevelopment.

62 Responses

They had a service ramp that went down to the kitchen. I mean this thing was like a 45 degree downward plane. It was concrete and covered with about 6o years of floor grease and what not ( all outdoor) btw. U’d come down this with a hand truck full of deliveries. (100lbs) lock your feet at the top and slide right to the bottom. If the back door was unlocked u’d fly into the prep area with your delivery scaring the Jeeper out of the kitchen people. If it was locked.. Well then it was like hitting a brick wall.

1982: The Golden Age of the Q: Good quality, lovingly prepared chicken teriyaki on a stick and spinach fettucini. Fun bar, good service, friendly waitstaff, live music on occasion and lots of attractive women. Classic Art Deco interior design. Even the outside didn’t look as dumpy as the picture. Hope Albany Med does more with it than tear it down for expanded parking.

I’d like to say I’m shocked…but not really. While I commend the owners for undertaking a great renovation, it always seemed like their main goal was rebuilding the “Quintessence brand” before anything else. The food was never quite as good as most remembered, the service/atmosphere was lacking, and they couldn’t really compete in a city that has much more diverse food options than it did 20 years ago. It all makes sense now that the owners have been able to expand the brand and move into the suburbs, where there’s more space/parking/money and fewer “urban obstacles.”

I thought I saw a for sale sign on the Latham Quintessence site last week.
I’ve been patronizing the Malta location recently, but it just doesn’t seem the same experience as New Scotland. Frankly, the chicken teriyaki seems tastier at New Scotland.

The “new” Quintessence was a mere facade of the old….Who could forget the oranges sliding down into the juicer? or the “fruit bowl” that could feed a table of 4? Whether you were there at 8 pm or 3 am or nursing a coffee at 10 am, the place was an experience, an Albany cross-roads. Jimmy made the place work because he sweated out the details, and needed to make it work to make a living……when it is an investment, the care just isn’t there…. Shame it will be gone from the scene…..let’s hope the Park South Project on the residential side launches successfully…..with the Park, employers, the Capital, and Lark/Delaware within walking distance…there is no better location for a diverse urban neighborhood than Park South

The NEW Q was never as good as when Jim Scalzo owned it and early on, he worked the grill just inside the door behind the counter. Yep, those were the days. RIP, Q. BTW, not quite the same motif or foods, if you haven’t ried The Merry Monk, do yourself a favor and check it out.

I’m very, very worried that Albany Med’s plans include razing the entire block, including Valentine’s, to put in a parking lot. This is extremely disturbing and I for one am not a fan of the suburbanization of lower New Scotland under Albany Med’s watch.

Friends of mine were expecting their first child, and she went into premature labor. Albany Med got her labor to stop for a couple of days, and while they were keeping things on hold I went to visit. She asked me to PLEASE take him out to get something to eat, since he hadn’t left the hospital for over 24 hours, so we went to Quintessence. Hard to know if it was just the circumstances, but it felt just right. The baby, by the way, was born just fine.

Its been my occasional stop when going to stressful hospital visits, just part of the routine, either on the way in, or out. Loved that they redid the place, hated when it was vacant.
Hope they can reuse the structure, it has charm.

They HAD the BESTEST cole slaw I have ever had all up and down the East Coast! When at Valentines after drinking, my buddies/buddyettes used to get crappy pizza; I’d get a HUGE order of coleslaw instead!

And their sauerbraten wasn’t half bad either…and unavailable at almost every other restaurant in the Capitol district!

As the old UN diner…well It was pretty much like most diners,
except for the nite I got food poisoning there, from some cole slaw.
In it’s first iteration, as Quintessence, is was a fun, and reasonably priced dining establishment. As to “Quinnies” ver. 2 it was grossly overpriced, and the quality was sorely lacking (awful gummy noodles, for example)…the closing is no great loss…what will be a loss, will be if they raze that lovely and historic building.

Ahh, the UN Diner, back in the day of sex, drugs and r&r, AND hangin’ with Buddy Randell and the Knickerbockers after the UT closed. We’d have food there @ 4 in the ayem and talk music, chix and watch the sun come up. And then there was Mike’s Log Cabin…… Memories I almost forgot.

We liked it when they 1st reopened – it was one of the places we would walk over to eat. However – both the food and service went downhill quickly. The last time we went, we ordered French Onion soup and got served sautéed onions in hot water covered with the bread and cheese. Apparently they were out of the soup so whoever was in the kitchen tried to pass that off.( we called the waitress over to show her). That was it for us.

After one deplorable meal at Quint v. 2.0, I still gave them a chance and went back a few more times, trying to give them the benefit of the doubt of perhaps just having an off day. Sadly, every subsequent visit seemed to be an off day too. After four experiences of bad food and incompetant service, I finally threw in the towel and never went back. Pity to lose such a beautiful building though.

mid-1980s…Screwdrivers with fresh squeezed orange juice from an industrial, lever-powered unit screwed to the ledge in front of the bar mirror. Partying in the apartment next door, Joy Division drowned out by the blaring sounds of the dance band in Quintessence coming through the wall. Skel’s 119 diagonally across Dana Ave with that giant red crescent-shaped booth. Condom dispenser in ladies room. Gorgeous art deco entry door. Gigi (GG) waiting tables.

The food there was terrible. But, the building is priceless. If AMC were smart, they’d sell it and have it moved to where ever the new owners wanted to re-locate it. In the right spot and with good old-fashioned diner food again it would thrive.

DUring college I frequented the Q. After hours of drinking at either the State Street Pub, 288 or THe Lark I would go there to sober up. Always fun. Also have vivid memories of Sunday mornings. Wake up, smoke a few and head over there with frionds to gorge. Usually ended up with lots of not so good champagen and OJ, which at the time seemed really good but later inthe day always seemed really bad. Nevertheless I did like 100 times. Too bad. IT was a unique place with a diverse crowd.

“Back in the day”, when Q was in its prime, they had the most amazing brunch and international nights including Mexican, Italian and German where the food quality surpassed even that of restaurants specializing in those types of dishes. Sadly those days are gone. Q as of today is nearly a namesake of what it use to be. It’s not the same other then the building and the name. Revisiting Q was like going on a date today with my first true love from over 20 years ago. I wanted the flame to be there but it just wasn’t. RIP Quintessence.

Agree with #33, back in the day when Jimmy Scalzo (and Henry Junco) owned Q and it was in its prime, they had awesome chicken teriyaki, brunches and fresh squeezed orange juice. Monday night was Italian night, Tuesday Seafood, Wednesday German, Thursday International and Friday Asian – if I’m not mistaken?! Lived there on the weekends – dancing in the back to greatly spun records! It was the hopping place to BE!! Have frequented it a number of times since it re-opened, but it’s been dead every single time I’ve been in there, unfortunately. I was really hoping the new owners would keep up the bustling atmosphere & delicious food. Still sorry to see it go. Will have to go back again tho before Wednesday. Hopefully the wait staff will be on their game this time! The Q in Malta just isn’t the same! Sorry!

@kw, thanks! I will be trying it this weekend. I love that stuff…especially mixed in with the teriyaki. Good enough to drink from the plate. I haven’t been to the Malta location yet, looks like I will have to. I can’t imagine life without that plate once in a while. Soooo good.

…and as for the marinade for the cold green pasta salad that came with their famous beef or chicken “teriyaki” dish, at least back then it was nothing more then pre made Italian dressing. I’m not sure if it was entirely pre made or made from one of those salad dressing packets where you just add oil and vinegar. Nothing fancy but it worked. Reliable info from someone who use to work there.

Thanks KW/imajovigirl. Now all I need is a conversion table to quickly convert those amounts to a size that would be suitable for home use. I’m thinking a gallon of the stuff is a bit much for my needs, although there have been times when I just wanted to put that stuff in an IV drip and go happily on my way…

My history with the “Q” goes way back, too many memories to list, but I was just there last Saturday for dinner, at 8pm and my companion and I were the ONLY customers in the place. Food was still good though. This article gives a bit of insight into why. Or, perhaps the money was just too good to pass up.

Sigh….my husband and I had brunch– our first date — there in late May 2002…we both have many great memories of late nights there in the early 1980’s…I have fond memories of Charlie Smith playing there and those international special nights…the blooody marys were my favorites.

Used to walk down on morning break from the Med in the early 90’s when WQBK 104 would broadcast from there some mornings. $1.04 breakfast sandwiches, REAL coffee, fun times… great place for a brief escape. No it’s certainly not the same now re-opened as it was, but I hate the thought of it being demolished. Seems such an awful shame.

@36 too bad. I think you are pretty close. I do remember Sunday was Fajita night. I know there was an indonesian night w/the killer Bakmi Goreng. German night for me meant really great sauerbraten and potato pancakes. Many sundays in the ’80’s spent there for brunch when the wife and I were first going out. Giant mugs of Bailey’s and Coffee or Bloody’s. Chili omelettes with Rolf’s breakfast sausage. Best hangover cure ever. I really miss those care free days.

Hey Doug: maybe if you had more respect for the past you’d know how to spell YOU’RE correctly! (sorry, but I get as upset as williepitt does at that)Did you not notice that Steve specifically asked us to share our memories?

Do yourself a favor and cherish the memories and DO NOT ATTEMPT ONE LAST VISIT. We went for lunch today. Horrible service, waited for over an hour for food. So-so preparation and down right unpleasant lunch. Don’t try and replicate what you experienced there in the past– it isn’t happening there.

If you are openning a restaraunt in the city , it better be a chain. You will fail if not. It sucks but thats the way it is. It is Albany, home of college kids and state workers. we like our comfort zone and inexpesive meals, nothing weird. Not enough foodies for idependent places to thrive. Select few will make it but even they will go way side when the knew thing comes in. Chains almost always prevail. welcome to Albany, if you don’t like it. You don’t have to , but you will deal with it.

@KW, I tried the recipe this weekend. I brought it down to a 1/4 gallon. While it’s the closest I’ve come to the originial, it still wasn’t the same. I will keep trying and post the recipe when I figure it out. Thanks for the head start.

#35 KW & #57 imajovigirl – I agree that the Q’s spinach fettucine was great. I’m not sure where you got that recipe, but I think you’ll make progress if you skip the worcestershire sauce and probably the chile powder also. I find it hard to believe that their wonderful vinaigrette had worcestershire sauce…

@Woodrow, The worcestershire sauce and chile powder were spot on. The only thing was the oregano wasn’t quite right. My thought was when you break down a recipe to make less not all ingredients get broken down the same. If I put less oregano in, I believe it would’ve been pretty close! I’m on a mission now…wonder how much weight I’ll gain by the time I figure it out. Olde Daley Inn has a similar dressing…good but not quite as good as the Q.

#8 imajovigirl – I take your word for it, but I’m just surprised. Other than a dash here and there for beef dishes, I find worcestershire sauce a fairly vile concoctionAnd certainly not something used in a vinaigrette.

I once found my sister cooking chicken breasts in worcestershire sauce, and I was forced to banish her from my kitchen until she repented, and learned the proper use of W. sauce.

Chef Donnie Graham was the reason the the old Quintessence was such a great place to eat. Donnie can now be found in Lansingburgh at Graham’s Lansingburgh Cafe. He does not make the chicken or steak teriyaki out of respect for Jimmy and Henry but he makes many different types of omelettes that are amazing like he did at Q. He is open for breakfast and Lunch daily and for dinners on Friday which is when you will find those old Q favorites from their theme nights.

Eat, drink and be candid, with Times Union Senior Writer Steve Barnes

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